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Busan Metropolitan City to Begin Applications for Lifelong Education Voucher Program on March 25

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Park Heong-joon, announced that it will begin accepting applications for the 2026 Busan Metropolitan City Lifelong Education Voucher for adults from marginalized groups, including low-income individuals and persons with disabilities, starting on March 25.

The Lifelong Education Voucher (hereafter “voucher”) is a system that provides financial support for education in order to reduce disparities in lifelong education participation arising from social and economic conditions and to expand opportunities for lifelong learning.

The main beneficiaries are adults residing in Busan, including low-income individuals aged 19 or older such as recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security Program and the near-poverty class, persons with disabilities aged 19 or older who are officially registered, seniors aged 65 or older, and adults aged 30 or older wishing to participate in digital-related lifelong education programs. In particular, beginning in 2026, Busan Metropolitan City will additionally support 500 members of the regionally specialized “sandwiched generation,” expanding beyond the existing beneficiaries of the general lifelong education voucher program.

Busan Metropolitan City established the nation’s first ordinance to support the “sandwiched generation,” creating an institutional foundation for citizens aged 40 to 54. Through this initiative, the city plans to select and support members of the sandwiched generation as a regionally specialized model implemented for the first time in the country.

The total number of beneficiaries will be 7,501, consisting of 5,032 recipients of the general voucher, 500 recipients of the regionally specialized voucher, 797 recipients of the disability voucher, 521 recipients of the senior voucher, and 651 recipients of the digital voucher.

Learners selected to receive the voucher will be provided with 350,000 KRW in support points that may be used for lifelong education course tuition and textbook expenses.

The voucher may be used to enroll in a wide range of courses offered at vocational training institutions, lifelong education facilities, and lifelong vocational education academies, including programs related to certification acquisition, entrepreneurship, foreign languages, humanities, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital fields.

As of March, approximately 200 voucher-accepting institutions in Busan are available. Detailed information can be found on the Busan Lifelong Education Voucher website at www.lllcard.kr/busan, and additional updates can be received by adding the KakaoTalk channel “Busan Lifelong Education Voucher” as a friend.

Applications for the general voucher for low-income adults will be accepted from 10:00 a.m. on March 25 to 5:00 p.m. on April 17 through the Busan Lifelong Education Voucher website at www.lllcard.kr/busan. Applications for the disability voucher for registered persons with disabilities may be submitted through the Government24 benefits portal at plus.gov.kr. Applications for the senior and digital vouchers will be announced separately around June.

The results of the selection will be announced on April 30. If the number of applicants does not exceed the recruitment quota, all applicants will be selected. If the number exceeds the quota, recipients will be chosen through an online random draw.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This support for the Lifelong Education Voucher will provide a valuable opportunity to ensure that economic circumstances or physical limitations do not become obstacles to learning.” He added, “In particular, through the first-in-the-nation specialized support program for the sandwiched generation, we will establish a customized lifelong education support system that embraces citizens who have previously been left in educational blind spots.”